USDA Extends Registration for Market Facilitation Program

Jan 11, 2019

USDA has extended the deadline for agricultural producers to apply for Market Facilitation Program payments provided by the agency’s trade mitigation program.

The original application deadline had been January 15, 2019. But farmers have been unable to apply for the program since the lapse in federal funding caused the closure of USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices at the end of business on December 28, 2018.

According to a statement issued by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, the application deadline will now be extended for a period of time equal to the number of days FSA were closed once the government shutdown ends.

The Market Facilitation Program has been making payments directly to farmers who have suffered trade damage,” said Perdue. “Using existing funds, we were able to keep FSA offices open as long as possible, but unfortunately had to close them when funding ran out. Farmers who have already applied for the program and certified their 2018 production have continued to receive payments.”

Source : CotttonGrower

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.